Stack feeder machine



W p .4 ILLJ- April 9, 1957 Filed NOV. 29, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet l FIG-L.

INVENTORS C4,e4 ,JI 552657-2044, 61 mm ro/v 7643002,:

April 1957 c. J. BERGSTROM EfAL 2,788,131

STACK FEEDER MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1954 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS 642; J: 5526570044,

61424 ra/v TOLSDORF April 9, 1957 c. J. BERGSTROM ETAL 2,788,131

STACK FEEDER MACHINE Filed Nov. 29, 1954 s Shets-Sheet 3 V IN VEN TORS 75 7 C444 J3 5526573 1,

ArraRn// April 9, 1957 c. J. BERGSTROM ETAL 2,788,131

STACK FEEDER MACHINE 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 29, 1954 INVENTORS C424 J. simssneo 61444719 704 s doe/ April 9, 1957 c. .1. BERGSTROM ETAL 3,

STACK FEEDER MACHINE Filed NOV. 29, 195,4 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 IN VEN TORS 702 C494 J- 5526572 1,

64AM ran Ta4saaep United States patentO STACK FEEDER MACHINE Carl J. Bergstrom, Brooklyn, and Carlton Tolsd'orf, Glendale, N. Y., assignors to Dellenbarger Machine Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New This invention relates: to. an apparatus for delivering and jogging sheets of paper and the like automatically into an aligned. stack. More specifically, the present apparatus provides means for feeding individual sheets of paper to a receiving table to form a stack thereon and mechanism for jogging the sheets as they are received at the top of the. stack to form. a stack with aligned edges. The apparatus also includes automatic means for loweringv the stack of sheets only when a predetermined num ber of sheets are fed to the top of the stack. Means are also provided to synchronize the jogging means with the means to lower the supporting table to a predetermined degree so as to assure correct positioning of the sheets. as they are fed on the stack.

Further details and advantages of the invention. will be apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the stack feeder and. jogger apparatus associated with a portion or" a suitable supply for the sheets,

Figure 2 is a left side elevational view ofthe apparatus shown in Figure. 1,

Figure 3. is a right side elevational view of the apa paratus shownin Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a front elevational view of the apparatus shown in Figure 1,

Figure 5 is an enlarged top plan view of the ratchet release mechanism for lowering the table or dolly sup.- port; for a stack of sheets,

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the construction shown in Figure 5, the pawl being in inoperative position,

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 6 showing the pawl in operative position to lower the table support,

Figure 8 is a vertical fragmental View taken on lines 3-8 of Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a top plan view of the drive mechanism for feeding the sheets of paper and actuating the jogging means,

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of Figure 9,

Figure 11 is a fragmental elevationl view taken on lines 11-11 of Figure 10,

Figure 12 is a horizontal sectional view taken on lines 12-42 of Figure 11,

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the raising and lowering mechanism for the table support, and

Figure 14 is a plan View of the mechanism shown in Figure. 13.

Referring to Figures 1 to 4, letter A generally indicates any suitable conventional means for feeding sheets to be stacked by the present apparatus. The sheets are fed in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure l bymeans of suitable travelling belts 5. The present sheet feeding and jogger apparatus is designated generally by letter B which is adapted to be positioned in juxtaposition to the feeding means. A and temporarily operatively connected therewith by a coupling mechanism '70 shown in Figure 13. The sheet feeding and jogging ap;

paratus of this. invention comprises a main frame member 10 which is provided with extensions. 15 and 16,. as shown in Figure 13, which are adapted. to engage. a coupling member 17 of the feed apparatus. A and to, be securely retained by fastening bolts 3. Frame member 10 is supported on spaced tubular front. legs 11 and rear legs 11a at the corners thereof. The legs are provided; with rollers 12 so as to facilitate moving the entire apparatus to any suitable location for coupling with a suitable sheet supply machine.

A pair of horizontally spaced U-shaped supporting. members 18 are provided. on frame 10v for supporting a removable receiving table or dolly 20 on which the; sheets 8 of paper, cardboard and the like are stacked, as shown in Figure 8, and aligned. The dollyv 20 is provided. at.

its undersurface with. rollers 20' so that it may travel on the floor to transfer the. completed stack of sheets, sup ported thereon.

The supporting U-shaped members 18. are guided for vertical movement by means. of a pair of concavelyshaped rollers 8a and. 9a carried on. stub shafts 8' and 9', respectively, on the members. 18, as shown in Figures 11 and 12. The rollers 8a and 9a are, adapted to ride. on the. cylindrically-shaped pair of. rear legs 11a which support the frame member 10. One end 14a of a chain, 14 is connected to the rear end of each supporting member 18. The other end 14b of each chain 14 is connected to a suitable free. counterweight 13, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. The chains 14 pass over, a sprocket 7 carried by shaft 1'02, as shown in Figures 10 and 13, supported in suitable hearings on frame member 10. A, hand wheel 165 (Figure 14) is provided on. shaft 102 which upon manually turning clockwise will raise the supporting membersiS to any desired height. A pawl 100cm: gages the teeth of ratchet99 on shaft 102. Spring 1131 normally urges the pawl 10% against the. teeth of ratchet 99; so as to maintain the chain at any desired height.

Shaft 102 carries a gear 98 which is driven by meshing driven worm gear, 97 carried on shaft 93, as shown in Figures 13 and 14, said shaft being supported in bearings 94 and 95 on the frame member 10. Shaft 93 carries a ratchet 92 which is activated by a pawl 91 carried Means are also provided to inactivate the pawl 91 so that it will not engage ratchet 92 when no sheets are being fed to the dolly 21), so as to avoid lowering of the dolly 2% except when sheets are being stacked. For this purpose a slidable shoe 90 is provided which is; adapted to be interposed between the pawl 91 and ratchet 92, as shown in Figures 5 to 7 and 13, and automatically withdrawn by the activation of a pivoted release finger The release finger S5 is activated when one end of a.

pile of a predetermined number of sheets S is supported thereon, as shown in Figure 8. The weight of. the pile of sheets S will cause finger 85 to be depressed downwardly to slide the shoe back, thereby allowing pawl 91 to activate ratchet 92.

The depression of finger 85 activates the mechamsnr shown in Figures 5 to 7 which functions. to withdraw. shoe. 91) so as to permit pawl 91 to engage. ratchet 92, thereby driving shaft 93 which results in lowering of the pallet: support as. previously described. Finger 85. is pivoted on stub shaft 82 carried on an upright member. 47 which is; supported on frame 10. The. finger'85f is provided with:

a rear extension. 85, as shown in Figures: 7 and 8, which.

is. hingedly connected to a link: 83. A slidabl'e cam fitl isn carried by link 83. Cam 80 is slidably supported on upright member 47 and is guided thereon by a pin 84 movable in a suitable guide slot provided in member 47.

A slidable rod 86 passes through a suitable opening in member 47 and carries at one end a cam follower 81 p which rides on the cam 80. The other end of the rod 86 is connected to an extension 88 carried by the shoe member 90 which, as previously described, is adapted to be interposed between the pawl 91 and ratchet 92. The shoe 90 is provided with a slot 910 which receives a guide pin 90b on frame 10, as shown in Figures to 7. A spring 87 is interposed between upright member 47 and collar 86a on rod 86 to normally urge the shoe 90 to its inoperative position, as shown in Figures 5 and 6.

When release finger 85 is depressed downwardly by an accumulated pile of sheets S, as previously described, cam 80 will activate follower 81 to assume the position shown in Figure 7, whereby the shoe 90 is withdrawn so as to permit pawl 91 to engage and activate ratchet 92. Thus the dolly is lowered only when a predetermined number of sheets S accumulate and rest with their one edge against release finger 85. Instead of using a cam and follower to withdraw the shoe 90, other equivalent mechanism may be uesd, as for example, an electric switch activated by cam 80 which may energize a solenoid on rod 86 for moving the shoe 90.

' Means are also provided for automatically jogging the sheets as they are stacked on the dolly 2G. The means to produce such jogging action is shown in Figures 9 and 10. As previously explained, the present apparatus isadapted to be releasably coupled with a sheet supply machine A which is provided with a suitable powerdriven gear 25. The present apparatus is provided at its rear end with a gear 26 on shaft 27 which is adapted to mesh with power gear of the feed machine A. If desired, gear 26 may be driven by a separate motor instead of being engaged with gear 25. Gear 26 in turn drives gear 30 on shaft 29. Shaft 29 carries a sprocket 39 which drives a chain 31 passing over sprocket 39 on shaft 32.

Shaft 32 carries a series of spaced rollers over which belts 41 pass. Belts 41 pass over shaft 28 and are driven thereby. Belts 41 feed sheets to the dolly 20, as shown in Figure 8. A pair of rubber covered rollers 4, shown in Figure 1, are carried on spaced arms 48 which are supported on fixed shaft 43 for contacting and guiding the sheets as they are fed to the dolly 20. Rollers 4 coact with mating rollers 40 carried on shaft 32. An eccentric stub shaft 27' is carried by a gear 30, as shown in Figure 9, which is connected by coupling 33 to rod 34 having a U-bracket 35 connected to rocker arm 36. Arm 36 pivots on shaft 36' and is connected at its intermediate portionto reciprocating or jogging shaft member 37. Member 37 is supported in spaced bearings 37 on frame 10, as shown in Figure l.

One end of a frame member 42 is carried on the front end of shaft 37. The other end of member 42 is carried on a slidable shaft 45 supported in spaced bearings 44 on frame 10. A transverse rear member 46 is connected to the rear ends of members 37 and 45. A plurality of spaced stacker plates 50 are affixed to members 42 and 46 which reciprocate to and fro, so as to align the front and rear edges of the stack of sheets supported on dolly 20.

Stacker plates 65 are also provided for jogging the sides of the stack of sheets so as to align them while supported on the dolly 20. The means for actuating the side stacking plates 65 is shown in Figure 9. The reciprocating frame member 46 carries a jogging cam member 52, as shown in Figure 9, which activates a follower 49 carried by a reciprocating shaft supported in bearings 6% on the frame member 10. A collar 91b on shaft 60, as shown in Figure 5, carries the pawl 91 which activates ratchet 92, as previously described. Shaft 60 constantly reciprocates by action of the cam follower 49. A spring 73 is carried on shaft 60 between collar 72 and bearing 60' to ensure return of the shaft 60 to its starting position.

A pair of longitudinally extending members 2, shown in Figure l, are slidably carried by means of sleeves 2 on shaft 63. Members 2 carry stacking plates 65 which are adapted to contact and align the side edges of the stack of sheets supported on dolly 20. The members 2 can be slidably adjusted on shaft 63 by turning handles 66 at the front of the machine on longitudinally extending rods 67 which tighten the sleeves 2 against shaft 60 to accommodate various widths of stacks supported on dolly 20. The front member 42, carrying jogger plates 50, is also adjustable and can be moved on supporting shafts 37 and 45 toward the rear member 46 so as to adjust for the size of the stack being aligned.

A bracket support 7a (Figure 5) is provided on the frame 10 to support a cover 7b, as shown in Figure 1, which protects the release finger mechanism.

A cover 8 may also be provided to cover the drive mechanism for the dolly support. A cover 9 may also be provided to cover the jogger drive mechanism and associated elements.

In operating the apparatus described, the supporting members 18 are raised to the desired level by turning handle 105. The sheet S are fed forwardly by driven belts 41 so that a plurality of sheets S accumulate and rest with their rear edges on finger release to be depressed which will cause shoe member to be moved to its operative position as shown in Figure 7 so as to permit pawl 91 to engage ratchet 92. Rcciprocation of the shaft 60 which carries the pawl 91 will actuate ratchet 92 and thus lower the chains 14 carrying the dolly supporting members 18 as previously described. The top of the stack of sheets supported on dolly 20 will thus always be at the proper height to support the oncoming sheets fed thereto. At the same time, the front and rear stacking plates are activated to and fro by the reciprocating rod 34 as previously described which is attached to jogging member 46. At the same time jogging member 46 activates the laterally jogging shaft 60 by means of the cam 52 and follower 49 previously described. The side stacking plates 65 are reciprocated sideways since they are carried on members 2 carried on reciprocating shaft 60, as previously described.

The present invention provides an efiicient machine which is easy to operate and to position into operative relation for receiving sheets supplied by a feeding device, printing press and the like.

It is to be understood that numerous changes may be made in the various details described which are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A sheet delivering and stacking apparatus comprising a supporting table, means to feed sheets to said supporting table, means to support said table, reciprocating stacker plates adapted to align all the edges of said sheets to form an aligned stack, means to jog said stacker plates, means to lower said support means, a pivoted finger normally positioned to support the free edges of a predetermined number of sheets thereon while the opposed edges of said sheets rest on said supporting table, said finger being adapted to be actuated by the weight of the predetermined number of sheets supported thereon to actuate said means for lowering said table-supporting means and means to return said pivoted finger to its initial position to inactivate said lowering means.

2. A sheet delivering and stacking apparatus comprising a supporting table, means to feed sheets to said supporting table, means to support said table, reciprocating stacker plates adapted to align the edges of said sheets to form an aligned stack, means to jog said stacker plates, means to lower said support means, a pivoted finger normally positioned to support the free edges of a predetermined number of sheets thereon While the opposed edges of said sheets rest on said supporting table,

said finger being adapted to be actuated by the weight of the predetermined number of sheets supported thereon to actuate said means for lowering said table-supporting means and means to return said pivoted finger to its initial position to inactivate said lowering means, and means to synchronize the means to lower said table support and the means to jog said stacker plates.

3. A sheet delivering and stacking apparatus comprising a supporting table, means to feed sheets to said supporting table, means to support said table, a pair of movable chains supporting said table-supporting means, said chains being carried on sprockets carried on a shaft, a ratchet on said shaft to actuate same, a reciprocable pawl adapted to engage said ratchet, said pawl being carried on a reciprocating shaft, means to actuate said reciprocating shaft, a slidable shoe adapted to be normally interposed between said ratchet and pawl to inactivate same, a slidable member connected to said shoe, a cam follower on said slidable member, a pivoted finger nor mally positioned to support the free edges of a predetermined number of sheets thereon while the opposed edges of said sheets rest on said supporting table, said finger being provided with an extension, a cam carried by said extension, said cam being adapted to actuate said follower upon movement of said pivoted finger by the weight of a predetermined number of said sheets supported thereon, thereby to withdraw said slidable shoe to permit said pawl to actuate said ratchet and actuate the shaft carrying the said chain carrying sprockets so as to automatically lower said table-supporting means a predetermined distance.

4. A sheet delivering and stacking apparatus comprising a supporting table, means to feed sheets to said supporting table, means to support said table, a pair of movable chains supporting said table-supporting means, said chains being carried on sprockets carried ona shaft, a ratchet on said shaft to actuate same, a reciprocable pawl adapted to engage said ratchet, said pawl being carried on a reciprocating shaft, means to actuate said reciprocating shaft, a slidable shoe adapted to be normally interposed between said ratchet and pawl to inactivate same, a pivoted finger normally positioned to support the free edges of a predetermined number of sheets thereon while the opposed edges of said sheets rest on said supporting table, means actuated by pivoting said finger to withdraw said slidable shoe to permit said pawl to actuate said ratchet and actuate the shaft carrying the said chain carrying sprockets so as to automatically lower said table-supporting means a predetermined distance.

5. A sheet delivering and stacking apparatus comprising a supporting table, means to feed sheets to said supporting table, means to support said table, a pair of movable chains supporting said table-supporting means, said chains being carried on sprockets carried on a shaft, a ratchet on said shaft to actuate same, a reciprocable pawl adapted to engage said ratchet, said pawl being carried on a reciprocating shaft, means to actuate said reciprocating shaft, a slidable shoe adapted to be normally interposed between said ratchet and pawl to inactivate same, a slidable member connected to said shoe, a cam follower on said slidable member, a pivoted finger normally positioned to support the free edges of a predetermined number of sheets thereon while the opposed edges of said sheets rest on said supporting table, said finger being provided with an extension, a cam carried by said extension, said cam being adapted to actuate said follower upon movement of said pivoted finger by the weight of a predetermined number of said sheets supported thereon, thereby to withdraw said slidable shoe to permit said pawl to actuate said ratchet and actu ate the shaft carrying the said chain carrying sprockets so as to automatically lower said table-supporting means a predetermined distance, and means actuated by said reciprocating shaft to jog the sheets on said supporting table.

Broadmeyer Apr. 14, 1931 Huck Nov. 11, 1941 

